Taylor Family Recipes

Organic Hamburgers:
Spicy burgers, perfect for a family infused Sunday afternoon or quick lunches and dinners through out the week.

• Makes 3 burgers per pound of meat
• Time is approximately 20 minutes for one batch, add 10 minutes for each additional batch
• Additional items
• Sheet of wax paper

Mix in a large bowl:

• 1 pound of hamburger
• 1 Egg
• 1 Tbs. Garlic powder
• 1 Tbs. Onion powder
• 1 tsp. Cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. Comino (Cumin)

Place a piece of wax paper on a counter, this will be used later to layout the formed patties.  While mixing the ingredients, heat a skillet (the larger the better) to Medium.  I use an oversized skillet, which heats somewhat slowly and set my stove on the unlabeled 5/8ths heating position.  If you use a grill adjust your temperature and cooking times accordingly.  I usually use a minimum of 3 pounds of meat as the patties store well in the refrigerator and make excellent quick meals throughout the week.

After mixing well, divide the mix into 1 pound portions, then divide the 1 pound portions into 3rds, which is a quick and easy way to get roughly 1/3 lb. burgers.  You can use a hamburger press, but it's just about as quick to form them by hand.  Place the formed patties on the wax paper and press in the middle to make everything more than half an inch from the edges slightly thinner.  This, after much practice :), keeps the finished burgers having a mostly uniform thickness and not a big bulge in the middle.

My first batch usually consists of 4 burgers to be eaten immediately, which I fry 6 minutes on each side to be sure they're cooked thoroughly.  For burgers that won't be eaten immediately, I reduce the cooking time to 5 minutes per side.  This allows for reheating in the microwave without drying them out.

Note!  Do not squish the burgers while cooking!  This depletes their natural oils and moistures, i.e. makes them dry and tasteless.

I like my burgers served on toasted bread with a dab of mayonnaise and brown mustard with a dusting of Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients:  For best tasting burgers use organic meat and spices.  Not only do they taste better this way, you aren't feeding your family a bunch of growth hormones or extra antibiotics.  The amount of cayenne pepper can be adjusted to taste or removed entirely.  1 tsp. of cayenne per pound will leave you with a nice rosy glow.  I personally have a pickle or half a dozen green olives on hand to quench the occasional hot spot.

Bon Appétit!